Green Lentil Soup with Coconut Milk and Indian Spices
This Green Lentil Soup with Coconut Milk and Indian Spices is bursting with flavor from coconut milk, toasted spices, and ghee. It uses my favorite lentils, lentilles de puy, more commonly known as a French green lentils, which hold their shape once cooked and become tender in just 20 to 25 minutes of cooking. This green lentil soup is packed with flavor and will quickly become a favorite!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons (45g) unsalted butter
- 1 large yellow onion finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves finely minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves finely chopped
- 1½ teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1½ quarts (6 cups) low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 1½ cups French (Puy) green lentils rinsed and picked over
- 2 tablespoons ghee, clarified butter, or unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- pinch ground nutmeg
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup (240 mL) full-fat coconut milk
- kosher salt
Instructions
- Heat the unsalted butter in a large soup pot. Add the diced onion and garlic, and sauté over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are very soft and translucent. They will reduce in volume significantly.
- Add the fresh thyme and turmeric, and continue to sauté for an additional 7 to 8 minutes, or until the mixture is very soft and fragrant.
- Add the stock and lentils and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender yet still hold their shape.
- In a small saucepan, heat the ghee (clarified butter or melted unsalted butter) over low heat. Add the spices and freshly ground black pepper, and sauté, stirring constantly for 2 minutes or so, until the butter is fragrant. Watch the pan, as it can quickly go from fragrant to burned if not careful.
- Add the spiced butter mixture to the soup. Pour in the coconut milk, stir everything together, and heat the soup over medium heat for 15 minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Leftover soup can be stored in a container and kept in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Reheat gently on stove.
Barely adapted from Once Upon a Tart by Frank Mentesana and Jerome Audureau
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 285kcal, Carbohydrates: 8g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 25g, Saturated Fat: 18g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 53mg, Sodium: 444mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g